News

Aqua-PhyD, Inc. hires Brad Snavely as Director of Agronomic Services

Irvine, CA - Aqua-PhyD, Inc., makers of a unique and proprietary water efficiency technology, is pleased to announce the recent hiring of turfgrass industry expert Brad Snavely as its Director of Agronomic Services.

Brad will be responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of agronomic services practice for the golf and agriculture industries.  Brad will also be responsible for developing protocols and fertility programs for Aqua-PhyD customers.

Brad has over 25 years experience in the agriculture and sports turf markets, and has consulted to many of the top golf courses in the country.  Brad’s expertise in understanding soil, water and plant interaction allow him to produce pro-active and comprehensive application protocols that factor in historical analysis, soil structure issues, water quality and use, and cultural practices.

Throughout his career, Brad has been a valuable resource to many industry leading golf course superintendents.  Dean Gump, superintendent at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, CA said, “Brad has a great understanding and background in water quality, soil chemistry and testing, and more importantly how it all works together. He has been a great asset to me.”

Brad grew up on a family ranch in Caruthers, CA and worked with his father developing fertility applications based on timing and individual crops demand, factoring in soil and water considerations. Prior to joining Aqua-PhyD, Brad served as the Western United States Technical Representative for Grigg Brothers Fertilizer.

March, 2008

Aqua-PhyD New Office

The new address is: 17155 Von Karman, Suite 112 in Irvine, California. Our new corporate phone number is: 949-476-2782. If you are in the area please stop in to say hi, or give us a call

 

Can Better Water Equal Better Grass?

Kellene Stockwell Channel 2 News  

The summer of 2006 went down as the hottest on record and also one of the driest. But at least one local golf course used 10% less water that summer.

There's nothing quite like having a green lawn, especially if you're a golfer. But having green greens in the desert would normally take a lot of water.

Not so if you believe the maker of Aqua-PhyD. "We know that we can safely achieve a 10% water savings in about any environment, but we've seen savings of upwards of 30% in some areas," says Dan McName.

As the water enters the Aqua-PhyD unit, it gets an electrical charge. When the sprinklers are on, that charged water breaks down the soil to allow more drainage. More drainage means more water gets to the roots and that means greener grass and less water use. "Last year in our hottest year on record we saved 10% of our irrigation, water throughout the year, so cost savings and water savings were huge," says Scott Wackowski.

The greens-keepers at D'Andrea Golf Course in Sparks are among the believers. But the makers of Aqua-PhyD see bigger applications like city parks and recs departments, not to mention agriculture - the biggest user of water. "By preserving the water in irrigated environments, we free up substantial amounts of water in the tens and hundreds of millions of gallons for other purposes like drinking," says McName.

And in a dry year like this one that's important for those of us who use the water and those of us who golf. "I really look forward to getting the numbers back this year, probably one of the driest years we've had in awhile, see how much we saved this year," says Wackowski.

 

Water Savings and Greater Crop Yield with Aqua-PhyD

July 20, 2007 - A California growing test site was created and monitored for the purpose of demonstrating the merits of using Aqua-PhyD to stimulate a greener, healthier plant while using less water.

In the picture below, the sweet corn to the left of Liam Shanahan (pictured center) was watered using a recommended schedule and watering amounts.

The corn to the right of Liam used the same schedule but with 30% less water.

                            Non-Treated                                                                  Treated

   

After 51 days, despite 30% less water, the Aqua-PhyD treated plants are not only the same in size, but a healthier, greener plant with greater yield.

The test validates substantial water savings using Aqua-PhyD treated water for growing Cellulosic ethanol fuel crops.

 

Agriculture New Market for Aqua-PhyD

March 30, 2007 - While continuing its commitment to supply water and soil treatment services to the golf industry, Aqua-PhyD announces it’s entry into the agriculture arena with limited tests on major farms for water and soil treatment leading to water conservation and enhanced plant growth.

This new market has resulted from independent growing tests during 2006 which increased plant growth two-fold, providing a healthier plant while using significantly less water.

Agriculture is society's greatest user of fresh water, withdrawing more than 75 percent of all fresh water consumed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture studies report a high correlation between hydraulic conductivity in soil, reduced water consumption, reduced soil compaction, and increased growth rate of plants.  Aqua-PhyD has proven to increase hydraulic conductivity in soil by 70% and to reduce water consumption.

The Aqua-PhyD technology was installed in December 2006 at a major Southern California farm which grows grape vines. Growth rate comparisons and water conservation are being tracked and documented.

 

Liam Shanahan with the first Aqua-PhyD system installed for agriculture

Aqua-PhyD will also be testing the Aqua-PhyD technology on other crops such as corn. Corn is being used not only as a food source, but also for ethanol production.

As an environmental green company, Aqua-PhyD is committed to working with companies and projects that will help our environment.

 

Aqua-PhyD Expands Service to East Coast Golf Courses

March, 2007 - Thanks to the efforts of the East Coast sales team led by Ken Donovan, Aqua-PhyD has installed five new systems during the month of March.

Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Georgia is a 5000 acre lakeside residential community offering 81 holes of championship golf on four golf courses including the Plantation, Great Waters, the National and the Oconee course. Golf Magazine rated two of the courses, “Top 100 Course You Can Play in 2006-07”. Aqua-PhyD installed three systems on the property during March of 2007.  

Also during March, Pine Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach, Florida installed the Aqua-PhyD service.

Pine Tree is ranked in the nation's top 100 and placed in Florida's top 5 golf courses on a regular basis.

Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club is distinguished as a championship golf club and is located in Bedminster Township, New Jersey.

Aqua-PhyD Installation at Fiddler's Elbow

The Club offers 54 holes of golf on three courses. It is the largest golf club in the state of New Jersey. The Aqua-PhyD technology and service was added to Fiddler’s Elbow in March, 2007.